President’s Cockpit / By BG E.J. Sinclair, Ret.: On behalf of the entire AAAA National Staff, we hope you have a great Thanksgiving. Please remember all we are thankful for and keep our Soldiers and their Families in your prayers.
Soldiers and industry interact in the Networking Technology Center at the 2015 Luther G. Jones Army Aviation Sustainment Forum at the Solomon Ortiz Center, Corpus Christi, TX, Oct. 6-8, 2015
Things have certainly ramped up since the summer. We re-launched the Luther Jones Army Aviation Sustainment Forum in Corpus Christi in October after a two year hiatus. It was a very successful event, thanks to COL Garner Pogue and the entire CCAD staff for their great support of the event. We also held our National Executive Board meeting during the AUSA Annual Meeting in Washington, DC in October. This semi-annual event helps shape the path forward for AAAA. We have added an Aviation Life Support Equipment Symposium to the week of events in November in Huntsville joining the Aircraft Survivability and Joseph P. Cribbins Aviation Product Symposia. Lastly, we held a Senior Executive Associates meeting in DC in late October.
All the above are examples of the four pillars of the AAAA Mission Statement: “Supporting the U.S. Army Aviation Soldier and Family.”
The symposia clearly are Networking events that you have told us are your number one reason for belonging to AAAA. See page 50 for the Luther Jones wrap up report. Embedded in those symposia are award presentations like Depot Artisan of the Year, ASE Award, Avionics Award, AMSO Awards, and Logistic Unit of the Year. This is all about Recognition, the second most significant reason you belong to your association.
The 12 three- and four-star non-aviator general officers who form the Senior Executive Associates under the chairmanship of former VCSA GEN (Ret.) Jack Keane are key to giving Voice to the major issues in the Aviation Branch. Again in October they met to see what could be done to take your concerns to the highest levels of decision makers. Another reason you are a member of AAAA.
In the last pillar, Support, we continue to write hundreds of thousands of dollars of checks to our 2015 scholarship winners in your families, and send additional tens of thousands back to our chapters to support local events. AAAA gives back.
The AAAA National Executive Group will also be starting a few new initiatives over the coming months.
First, CW5 (Ret.) Dave Cooper, VP Membership, will start a few new initiatives on the Community Membership for small non-defense related businesses at the local chapter level, the expansion of the Top Gun Recruiter awards, and a new Life Membership opportunity that will be rolled out in the coming year.
LTC (Ret.) Jan Drabczuk, VP Chapters, has crafted a new Top Chapter competition based on metrics on how they are delivering benefits to you as members. See page 54 for Jan’s full explanation of the new Top Chapter award program.
Finally, our new VP Reserve Affairs, COL (Ret.) Mark Weiss, will begin a new initiative for building membership in the ARNG and USAR. Both he and Dave are going out to visit the Safety and Standards Conference in Oklahoma in December to see how AAAA can better serve our ARNG members.
So, my point here is that your association is moving on many fronts simultaneously to make AAAA all it can be and serve you. Hopefully, you see real benefits to your membership.
I speak for all the six members of the AAAA leadership team when I say that it is an honor to continue to serve you. We wish you all a great Thanksgiving. Stay safe.
BG E.J. Sinclair, Ret.
32nd President, AAAA
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